1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spinning reel spools. More specifically, the present invention relates to spinning reel spools having fishing-line locks for locking the fishing line and relates to spinning reels that attach to a fishing rod and enable fishing line to be reeled out and retrieved.
2. Background Information
Spinning reels are in general furnished with a reel body, a rotor and a spool. The reel body rotatively supports a handle. The spool moves reciprocatingly with respect to the reel body. The spool includes a bobbin trunk, a larger diameter flange, and a skirt. Fishing line is wound onto the bobbin trunk. Hereinafter, the front is defined as a side opposite the reel body and the rear as the side toward the reel body. The larger-diameter flange is disposed on a front end of the bobbin trunk. The skirt is formed integrally with the bobbin trunk on the rear. A fishing-line lock for locking the fishing line wound onto the bobbin trunk can be provided on the skirt.
Conventional fishing-line locks lock the leading-end part of the fishing line wound onto the bobbin trunk. The locks keep the fishing line from coming loose from the bobbin trunk. This type of fishing-line lock includes a lock portion made, e.g., of a synthetic resin, and a plate-shaped mounting portion formed integrally with the lock portion. The lock portion is for example exposed along the outer circumferential surface of the skirt, arranged to part at a slight gap from the skirt and to have a rearward opening.
To employ the fishing-line lock to lock a fishing line, an angler lifts on the lock portion to spread the opening, and locks the leading end of the fishing line by nipping it in the gap between the lock portion and the skirt. In this case, the lock portion is formed of synthetic resin. Thus, owing to the elasticity of the synthetic resin, the locked fishing line will not readily come undone. Therefore, to undo the locked fishing line, the angler lifts on the lock portion and releases the locked fishing line by tugging on the line in a direction opposite the direction in which the fishing line is locked.
Angling techniques with spools like this include setting the length of a cast by locking the mid-part of the line. In this case, the part of the fishing line that is to become the end of the desired cast length is engaged into the lock portion, and the remaining fishing line is wound. Then the bail is opened and a cast made. Since the mid-part of the fishing line is locked, the fishing line reels out to just the desired cast length. On the other hand, when a catch is made, a large tension on the fishing line engaged in the lock portion is produced. The fishing line ideally would automatically disengage from the lock portion under the tension acting over a line roller when the fishing line reels out. However, conventional fishing-line locks do not have an automatic release feature. Thus, the angler has to disengage manually the fishing line. In performing the angling technique in which the mid-part of the fishing line is locked, the fishing line therefore will not automatically disengage under tension, which is inconvenient.
In view of the above, there exists a need for spinning reel which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
An object of the present invention is to provide a spool with an easy to use locking mechanism for locking and unlocking a mid-part of the fishing line.
A first aspect of the present invention provides a spinning-reel spool that moves reciprocatingly with respect to a reel body, and onto which a line roller fishing line is wound by a rotor rotation. The spool has a bobbin trunk portion, a skirt portion, and a fishing-line lock. The bobbin trunk portion is located on an outer circumference of the spool. Fishing line is wound onto the bobbin trunk portion. The skirt portion is provided on the bobbin trunk at its rear end. The fishing-line lock is located on the outer periphery of the skirt portion. The fishing-lock locks the fishing line, and releases the fishing line under tension acting over the line roller when the fishing line is reeled out.
A fishing-line lock that locks, for example, the mid-part of the fishing line is provided on a spool as follows. The fishing-line lock is configured so that when the mid-part of the fishing line is locked, large tension acting over the line roller when the fishing line is reeled out readily releases the fishing-line locked in the fishing-line lock. The fishing line is thus released automatically under the tension that acts over the line roller when the fishing line is reeled out. Thus, the spool more conveniently enables the mid-part of the fishing line to be locked and released.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the first aspect, wherein the fishing-line lock is formed to be shorter in length longitudinally than circumferentially. In this case, the fact that the locking portion for the fishing-line is short means that fishing line engaged in the fishing-line lock comes undone easily under tension.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the first or second aspect, wherein the forward end of the fishing-line lock is formed in an approximately round arcuate shape. In this case, since the forward end of the fishing-line lock is formed in an approximately round arcuate shape such as approximately hemispherical or tetra-spherical, the fishing-line locked in the fishing-line lock disengages easily.
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the first aspect, further including a fishing-line entry blocker for preventing the fishing line from entering the fishing-line lock. In this case, providing a fishing-line entry blocker, e.g., opposing the fishing-line lock, keeps slackened fishing line from entering the fishing-line lock. Thus, slackened fishing line is not liable to get tangled in the fishing-line lock.
A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the fourth aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker is provided rearward of the fishing-line lock.
A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the fourth aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker projects outward more radially than the fishing-line lock.
A spool in terms of a seventh aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the fourth aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker is formed integrally with the skirt.
An eighth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the fourth aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker is formed as a separate entity from the skirt.
A ninth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the fourth aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker includes a step portion opposing the fishing-line lock.
A tenth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the fourth aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker is a plate-shaped component.
An eleventh aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the tenth aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker shifts with respect to the skirt.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the eleventh aspect, wherein the fishing-line entry blocker can be outer radially flush with the skirt, or housed to position the fishing-line entry blocker inner-marginally from the outer circumferential surface.
A thirteenth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the first aspect, further including an auxiliary fishing-line lock on the outer circumference of the skirt portion for locking the leading end part of the fishing line. In this case, two types of fishing-line locks are provided, an auxiliary fishing-line lock and a fishing line lock that locks the mid-part of the fishing line. The auxiliary fishing-line lock conventionally locks the leading-end part of the fishing line. The fishing-line lock locks the mid-part of the fishing line, and in which, for example, a fishing-line entry blocker functions.
A fourteenth aspect of the present invention provides a spool as set forth in the thirteenth aspect, wherein the fishing-line lock is formed so that the locking force of the fishing-line lock is weaker than the locking force of the auxiliary fishing-line lock. In this case, against the comparatively strong locking force with which the auxiliary fishing-line lock engages the leading-end part of the fishing line, the locking force with which the fishing-line lock engages the mid-part of the fishing line is weaker than the locking force of the auxiliary fishing-line lock. Thus, fishing-line locked in the fishing-line lock comes undone more readily than fishing-line locked in the auxiliary fishing-line lock.
A fifteenth aspect of the present invention provides a spinning reel that attaches to a fishing rod and enables fishing line to be reeled out and retrieved. The reel includes a reel body, a spool, a rotor, a fishing-line lock, and a protrusion. The reel body attaches to the fishing rod. The spool has a bobbin trunk that moves with respect to the reel body. Fishing line winds onto another circumference of the bobbin trunk. The skirt is provided on the rear end of the bobbin trunk. The rotor is rotatively attached to the reel body to rotate relative to the spool when the fishing line is reeled out. A rotor arm is disposed about the outer circumference of the spool and a bail arm. The bail arm is mounted on the rotor arm and provided with a line roller for guiding the fishing line and for winding the fishing line onto the bobbin trunk. The fishing-line lock is located on the outer periphery of the skirt portion for locking the fishing line, and for releasing the fishing line under tension acting over the line roller when the fishing line is reeled out. The protrusion is disposed between the line roller and the fishing-line lock.
With this spinning reel, a fishing-line lock that locks, for example, the mid-part of the fishing line is provided on a spool as follows. The fishing-line lock is configured so that when the mid-part of the fishing line is locked, large tension acting over the line roller when the fishing line is reeled out readily releases the fishing-line locked in the fishing-line lock. The fishing line is thus released automatically under the tension that acts over the line roller when the fishing line is reeled out. Thus, the spinning reel is the more convenient to use because it enables the mid-part of the fishing line to be locked and released.
A sixteenth aspect of the present invention provides a spinning reel as set forth in the fifteenth aspect, further including a protrusion disposed between the line roller and the fishing-line lock. The protrusion protrudes on the rotor so as to catch the fishing line when the fishing line reels out over the line roller.
In this case, the mid-part of the fishing line, for example, is engaged by the fishing-line lock. Then, with the mid-part of the fishing-line locked in the fishing-line lock, large tension acting over the line roller when the fishing line is reeled out will undo the fishing line from the fishing-line lock. Since the reeling-out fishing line during this time is hooked in the protrusion formed on the rotor, the angle the fishing line assumes is not liable to become an acute angle. Thus, the fishing-line automatically disengages from the fishing-line lock under tension acting on the reeling-out fishing line.
Herein, when the angling technique of locking the mid-part of the fishing line is performed, the fishing line can readily disengage from the lock, which is the more convenient.
A seventeenth aspect of the present invention provides a spinning reel as set forth in the sixteenth aspect, wherein the protrusion is provided on the rotor arm. In this case, in particular, the case in which the rotor arm is located more toward the spool than the bail arm, the protrusion being provided between the line roller on the line-roller-side rotor arm, and the fishing-line lock, assists in releasing the engagement of fishing-line locked in the fishing-line lock.
An eighteenth aspect of the present invention provides a spinning reel as set forth in the sixteenth aspect, wherein the protrusion is provided on the bail arm. In this case, in particular, the case in which the bail arm is positioned more toward the spool than the rotor arm, by providing the protrusion being between the line roller on the line-roller-side bail arm, and the fishing-line lock, the protrusion can assist in releasing the engagement of fishing-line locked in the fishing-line lock.
A nineteenth aspect of the present invention provides a spinning reel as set forth in the sixteenth aspect, wherein the spool rotates when the fishing line reels out over the line roller.
A twentieth aspect of the present invention provides a spinning reel as set forth in the sixteenth aspect, wherein the rotor rotates when the fishing line reels out over the line roller.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention.